Festival of Quilts

I'll be there for the opening on the 8th August, and will be interviewing Kaffe Fassett, Brandon Mabley, Alicia Merrett, Maggie Grey and hopefully Annabel Rainbow, then presenting the award to the winners of the My first Quilt category in the evening... it would be lovely to meet any of you if you'll be going! I'll be catching up with Jennie Rayment and Wendy Gardiner and I'm sure there'll be many of your favourite sewing guests around too!

Denim pin cushion

This is a 15 piece biscornu pin cushion, made from denim squares, it took a bit of figuring out but I think was worth the trouble! One of the pin cushions in my next e book but I'm teasing you... hopefully be out by Christmas!

Search Press party pictures

Here's a few more pics, the chap in the top photo is Martin who owns Search Press, next down is Hash. I wonder what they'll do with all that bun ting!

Search Press authors party

Well I don't know if I've ever been in a room full of so much talent! I was so much in awe of the craft authors from every sector, felting, embroidery, knitting, painting, there were around 50 authors at the Search Press authors party in Tunbridge Wells yesterday. The only face I knew was Hash, a wonderful painter who guests on Create and Craft occasionally, but by the end of the day I had lots of new friends and invites to visit all over the country!

The bunting was knitted by Woman's Weekly readers, and was a record breaking 2 miles long! The sun was shining and the food was excellent, strawberries, chocolate brownies and cream were the order of the day certainly from me!

My husband Garie was there to take pictures, and I'll post more when I can.

My pin cushion button box!

A useful little button box!

1. For this little pin cushion I found a small hinged box, from a craft shop and one of those that you can decorate or paint. 

2. I bunched a handful of wadding in my hand then placed it on top of the lid, followed by a square of fabric that measured an inch larger than the lid of the box.

 3. I stapled the fabric to the lid in the centre of each side, making sure my wadding was tucked in, then kept on stapling all the way round.

4. Then I trimmed off the extra fabric, and glued with my lovely new glue gun, ribbon strips to cover the staples. I also put ribbon around the base of the box.

5. Finally I measured the centre of the dome of the pin cushion and put a staple through to the box lid, and stuck a bead over the top to give it a 'padded' look.

I think it looks a bit like a crown!

Sunny sewing

Well I sat in the garden all day prepping for my Oekaki shows over the weekend and making patterns for clothes for Humphrey. Finished by photographing my pin cushion projects, but I'm not showing you yet! There's an authors party at the Search Press offices on Tuesday so I've been putting together projects from my last two books with them to take down with me. Authors party! Get me! My mum would have been so proud...

Vibrapower show

Here's me, Rich and Shelagh on the ITV 3 show for Vibrapower, we have loads of fun, they're the nicest of people!